Equestrian estate

A private equestrian property in Geneseo that owners have opened up to others through the years for carriage driving competitions and fox hunts is on the market for some $1.5 million.

Paduka Run, a 65-acre property, includes an equestrian facility and private estate. It is owned by Hank and Laura Minor, who built on the property more than 20 years ago.

The Minors, both former competitive equestrians, originally wanted a private place to train for competitions. They quickly realized the Livingston County site was one that should be shared with others, and they made it available for events without charge.

The Genesee Valley region has been recognized for its well-established horse community, Hank Minor said.

Minor, who runs his family shoemaking business, P.W. Minor and Son Inc. in Batavia, is pondering retirement. The nearly 150-year-old manufacturing firm is one of Genesee County's largest employers. In addition, Minor said, since he and his wife are in their 60s and no longer compete, they are ready for a new phase in their lives.

Equestrian events are held on the grounds of Paduka Run each season, including jumping derbies and three-day eventing trials, in which individual riders and their horses compete against others in the disciplines of dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

Paduka Run also is host to other equestrian functions throughout the year, including the Genesee Valley Fox Hunt, the second-oldest fox hunt in America. Fox hunters throughout the United States, Canada and Europe attend the fall event, in which live foxes are chased but not killed.

Others events and clinics held at Paduka Run are organized by groups such as the Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club, the Genesee Valley Pony Club and the Western New York Dressage Association.

"The history of horses here is huge," said Minor. "In the equestrian community, everyone knows about Geneseo."

The property, which is on Roots Tavern Road, is subject to a conservation easement granted by the Minors to the Genesee Valley Conservancy Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving open space in the Genesee Valley region.

The location was the driving force in the Minors' decision to build Paduka Run. And the spirit of the community there played a role in their decision to open up the property.

"There is an understanding, respect and love for horses here that comes before everything," Hank Minor said.

The property includes a post-and-beam home of roughly 3,000 square feet, a stall barn with tack room, an Olympic-size 20-meter by 60-meter indoor riding hall, an outdoor cross-country schooling area and a 24-foot by 60-foot former carriage house now called the woodworking shop.

Also on the property is a chicken house, falconry mews approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and a 500,000-gallon pond that helps supply water to the farm and provides protection to migrating waterfowl.

The property is listed with Select Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates LLC of Saratoga Springs.

Mike Franklin, a licensed real estate agent with Select Sotheby's International Realty, said there has been some interest in the property, which went on the market this spring.

"It's a magnificent property," he said. "It's the most immaculate agricultural facility in the whole area."

Hank Minor said he hopes anyone who buys Paduka Run continues to welcome the equestrian community.

"This is a place for serious horse people," he said. "I hope the person who buys the property understands the area."